Williams Fw17
The Williams FW17 is a Formula One racing car designed by Adrian Newey, with which the Williams team competed in the 1995 Formula One World Championship.
It was driven by Damon Hill, who was in his third year with the team, and David Coulthard, who was in his first full season after a part-time role in 1994.
 Damon Hill driving the FW17 at the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix | |||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Williams (chassis, transmission) Renault Sport (engine) | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Patrick Head (Technical Director) Adrian Newey (Chief Designer) Eghbal Hamidy (Chief Aerodynamicist) Bernard Dudot (Chief Engine Designer (Renault)) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | FW16 | ||||||||
| Successor | FW18 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon fibre and Kevlar monocoque | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | pushrod, bellcrank, torsion spring | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | pushrod, bellcrank, torsion spring | ||||||||
| Engine | Renault RS7, 3,000 cc (183.1 cu in), 67° V10 NA mid-engine, longitudinally-mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | Williams transverse 6-speed semi-automatic | ||||||||
| Power | 675–700 bhp (503–522 kW; 684–710 PS) @ 15,200-15,600 rpm | ||||||||
| Fuel | Elf | ||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Rothmans Williams Renault | ||||||||
| Notable drivers | 5.  Damon Hill6. David Coulthard | ||||||||
| Debut | 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| First win | 1995 Argentine Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last win | 1995 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last event | 1995 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
Season performance
With what was regarded as the best chassis and aerodynamics in the field combined with the best engine, the 1995 season was disappointing for the team, who were beaten to both titles by Michael Schumacher and Benetton. Although the FW17 was superior in qualifying trim, taking 12 pole positions, Schumacher was usually more competitive on race day. The Benetton team arguably made better strategy decisions during races and Schumacher was able to win nine races against Hill and Coulthard's combined total of five. This situation was not helped by both drivers making several unfortunate errors during the course of the season.
History
For qualifying at the Portuguese Grand Prix, the Williams FW17B was debuted, although not used for the race itself. In the final four races of the season, the FW17B took four pole positions and two victories, but the titles were already just about out of reach due to the success of Schumacher and his Benetton B195.
The team eventually finished second in the Constructors' Championship, with 112 points; both Williams and Benetton had their constructor's points deducted from the Brazilian Grand Prix (6 and 10 points respectively) following an appeal that saw both teams' fuel-related disqualifications overturned from race standings.
The FW17 is notable for being the first Williams car to race with a raised nose, and was the first 'clean sheet' design from the team since 1991 (as the car's two predecessors had been evolutions of the FW14), owing to the new technical regulations for the 1995 season.
During an interview with Top Gear in 2012, Coulthard spoke positively about the FW17, saying that it was his favourite out of the cars he had driven in his career.
Complete Formula One results
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pts. | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Rothmans Williams Renault | Renault RS7 V10 | G | BRA | ARG | SMR | ESP | MON | CAN | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | POR | EUR | PAC | JPN | AUS | 112 | 2nd | ||
| FW17 | Damon Hill | Ret | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | Ret | 2 | Ret | Ret | 1 | 2 | Ret | 3 | ||||||||||
| FW17B | Ret | 3 | Ret | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| FW17 | David Coulthard | 2^ | Ret | 4 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Ret | Ret | 1 | ||||||||||
| FW17B | 3 | 2 | Ret | Ret |
^ – Coulthard's second place at the Brazilian Grand Prix did not count towards Constructors' Championship points as the FIA did not reinstate the constructor's points after the initial disqualification due to fuel irregularities was overturned.
References
- Henry, Alan, ed. (1995). AUTOCOURSE 1995-96. Hazleton Publishing. pp. 48–51. ISBN 1-874557-36-5.
External links
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